


Heir Apparent Red Epilogue

by BlackenedThorne (BlueThorne)



Series: Heir Apparent [2]
Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Fluff, Just barely M, M/M, Misunderstandings, Nero Isn't Related AU, POV First Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2018-03-26
Packaged: 2019-04-08 05:56:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14098731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueThorne/pseuds/BlackenedThorne
Summary: Dante wakes up in other people's beds all the time, but he was not supposed to wake up in Nero's, and Nero was not supposed to be so calm about it.An alternate pairing epilogue for Heir Apparent. Helps to have read the main fic first, but not necessarily required.





	Heir Apparent Red Epilogue

**Author's Note:**

> Here ya go, kids, as per request. I'm happy to meet absolutely none of your expectations.
> 
> I had each of the possible epilogues planned out a long time ago, and this one was always going to be the dumbest. Sorry, guys. These boys are bad at things.

“Are you going to keep hanging out in my room?” Nero asked before a yawn broke through his words. He stretched his arms out in front of him and curled his back, way too alright with the fact that he wasn’t wearing a shirt in front of me.

I’d never seen so much of him without clothes, and I couldn’t help but stare at the area of his right shoulder where the hide tapered off, giving way to skin. Another section of the dark red flesh curled around his side like a stripe on a cat.

Nero was so stuffy that I rarely saw much above his wrists or below his jaw. I did _not_ see him shirtless.

But I also had never woken up in his bed before.

With a slow, sharp exhale, I placed a hand on my face and tried to scrub away a hangover and the fog over my memories. All I knew was that I’d been drinking. For how uppity the Fortunans were, they knew how to throw a party. The wine had flowed like a river, and I was bad at saying no to any offers of refilling my glass, especially when the alternative was dealing with my family.

“You doing okay, Dante?” Nero asked, though he didn’t sound concerned. “Do you need some water or something?”

“Great,” I lied. “I’m great.” When my hand dropped, he was still sitting up in bed, staring at me from across the room. His knuckles squished on his cheek as he leaned his head against them.

I’d woken up before him, so I wasn’t sure if he realized that I’d been in bed with him a few minutes before. Naked.

I couldn’t tell if he had any clothes on below the belt. I hadn’t checked before I’d rushed to throw my own clothes back on. The blankets covered him.

The strangest thing was how unfazed he was. He kept blinking at me, looking bored while I tried to see if I could melt into the wall. “Well, your dad is probably going to want for all of us to have breakfast together,” he said. “You know how he is.”

“Yeah,” I wheezed. That wasn’t my most pressing matter, but it wasn’t helping.

* * *

“You have a big party every five years, and you haven’t invited me once?” I asked, slipping around Nero to face him. His steps halted at my sudden turn, and his expression sank to a scowl.

“Fortuna hasn’t invited Capulets to the gala in… ever. Credo is only sending invitations to Sparda and Vergil as a show of good faith. I’d rather they didn’t come, but it’s better for the alliance if they do.” His shoulders sank with his sigh. “All this diplomatic stuff is annoying.”

He may have always been confused when it came to his job, but ignoring his sour expression, Nero looked sharp in the general’s uniform. I liked the way the white fabric matched his hair and the gold detailing shone each time the sunlight struck it. I also liked to make a game of seeing how much I could dirty it up each time we sparred, and I was already plotting how I’d knock him flat when we got the courtyard.

“Are you going?” I asked as he shouldered past me to continue our walk.

“Of course. I’m the king’s knight. I have to.”

Dashing after him to keep at his side, I watched his dull expression for changes. “Am I going?”

“I don’t care, but you’ll have to wear something formal if you do. It’s not like the masque festivals. The gala is supposed to be for royalty.”

“I am royalty,” I said with a grin as I placed my hand to my chest. “And, lest you forget, I am Capulet’s Royal Correspondent for Fortuna.”

With a roll of his eyes, he threw open the door to the courtyard and stepped out in front of me. “Yeah-yeah, Your Highness, you only mention it every day.”

“So, will you be in something extra formal?” I asked, kicking the door shut behind me.

The sun was blinding outside, so bright that the gold on his sleeves seemed to give off its own rays. “Maybe,” he called over his shoulder. “But I’ll be working, unlike some people. Anyway, I’m tired of hearing you talk. Let’s get this fight over with.”

It took twelve seconds to trip him and ruin the pretty white of that uniform yet again.

* * *

“You really going to wear those clothes to breakfast?” Nero asked as he slipped out of bed. He was wearing pants, so that was… maybe good. “I know you don’t have anything else to wear in here, but you can go change.”

“I’ll get on that,” I muttered, still watching him as he pulled a fresh shirt from his wardrobe. He was leaner than I’d expected, muscles firm under his pale, smooth skin. I eyed as much as I could until he tugged the shirt on to cover himself.

Nero was attractive. There was no denying that. I wouldn’t have  _not_ wanted to sleep with him. Hell, I might have considered the idea more than few times when my mind and hand were wandering a bit. I did feel some shame for that, but Fortuna didn’t have much to offer in that area, and I’d had to see Nero sweaty and panting one too many times after a sparring match. My thoughts were never pure enough to handle that well.

But there was no way in hell the kid would have let me go near him. He still barked any time I touched him on the shoulder. I’d seen him drinking at the gala, but unless he was still drunk, he was far too calm for that to have been the sole contributor.

I refused to let myself think that he might feel some affection for me in return.

* * *

Nero must have stood against the wall for hours, watching the dancers on the floor and looking like he would have preferred to be anywhere else. When I sidled up to him, he breathed a sigh that sounded like a growl.

“That bad huh?” I asked, holding a glass of wine out for him. To my surprise he accepted it.

“Your dad has asked me to dance seven times.” The words seemed to drip from his mouth, slow and dark.

“Wow, rude, he’s only asked me four times.”

To be fair to my obnoxious father, Credo had somehow gotten Nero into a tailcoat. The kid looked more like he should have been part of the orchestra than a guard, and I found him damn cute. If I’d told him that much, I was certain I’d get his arm through my gut again, so it was best to sidle around the topic.

“Your king doesn’t look like he’s having much fun either,” I said.

Across the room, a gaggle of girls in flowing dresses had surrounded Credo. His ears had burned a permanent pink since the start of the gala. Poor guy had no idea how to handle women, and his stress showed every time one managed to drag him into a dance.

“The position of queen is still up for grabs,” Nero said, his eyes narrowing at the women hounding his king. “Those girls can get pretty cutthroat. Credo has his work cut out for him in trying to find a wife.”

Humming in thought, I leaned my head back against the wall. “You know, Vergil’s going to have to pick a queen at some point.”

That dragged a laugh out of the kid, so sharp and loud that a few people turned to glare at him. “I’m not sure if that’ll be worse for the woman or for Vergil,” he gasped between bouts of laughter.

He looked so different when he smiled or laughed. I couldn’t help but smile along when I saw the color flooding his cheeks and the tears in the corners of his eyes. For some reason, though, my chest felt tight, so I downed all the wine in my glass in one go.

* * *

“Uh, so-” I had to get it over with. There was no avoiding it. Better to find out from Nero than to learn from my father yelling about it at breakfast. “Did… Did something happen last night?”

“Well, the gala happened,” he said. As his gaze fell on my chest, he frowned. “Your buttons aren’t lined up. Are you still feeling drunk? You did have a lot of wine.” I couldn’t find the strength to move or speak when he stepped up to me and fixed my buttons, undoing and redoing each one down the shirt.

My chest was tight again, my breaths thin. With him right in front of me, I could spot every loose strand of hair messed by the bed, every light eyelash and the soft curve of his jaw. I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d touched him, if I’d kissed him.

Curling my hands into fists at my sides, I stopped myself from testing to see if another touch might jog my memory. “No,” I said as he stepped back. “Did, um, _we_ do anything last night?”

His brows rose, but his expression remained so plain that I wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake him until an answer fell out.

“You don’t remember?” he said just as I thought I might lose my mind. “I guess it doesn’t matter. I wasn’t impressed.”

* * *

“You should dance with me.”

“I’m working.”

“Just one dance won’t hurt.”

“You’ve asked almost as many times as your dad.”

“Then I’ve got to beat his record.”

His answer was a glare, thin and menacing. I widened my smile in return. Maybe he didn’t want to dance with me - and I couldn’t blame him because I was terrible - but I could tell that he did want to dance. He’d been tapping his foot and swaying his head in time to the beat of a sweeping song.

It was cute. He was cute. Cute.

I’d had a bit to drink.

“No one will care that we’re both men,” I said, stepping in front of him to block his view of the crowd. “Dad already managed to force Credo to dance with him, so we won’t be anything noteworthy.” That had been hilarious, actually. I’d had to hold my hand over my mouth the whole time to keep from bursting into laughter at the sight of Credo’s dead-eyed hatred of the whole thing. Dad was smiling the whole time. He’d finally found someone too polite and stuck on diplomatic rules to turn him down.

“You’re already an awful dancer when you’re sober,” Nero said. “There’s no way I’m dancing with you while you’re drunk.” The way his head tilted to the side made his bangs fall in front of his eyes, and I reached up to brush them away. His clawed hand caught mine in the air. “Don’t you dare try to get handsy in front of all these people.”

“I wasn’t going to,” I said even as I flipped my hand to take hold of his. They were at the perfect angle for me to lean forward and brush my lips across his fingers. The glow brightened enough that I had to squint. “But if you change your mind about that dance, let me know,” I murmured against his claws.

With his lips pressed together, his cheeks burned pink. Once the embarrassment wore off, he was bound to rake those claws down my face, so I was quick to step back out of range. “Can I at least get you some more wine?” I asked.

His eyes shot to the floor with such force that he could have cracked the stone. “Please,” he mumbled.

* * *

I’d received a number of comments from a number of partners. Not all of the feedback had been positive, particularly when I’d been younger and inexperienced. But never in my life had I heard something so soul-crushingly offensive. “What do you mean you weren’t impressed!?” I demanded. My face felt hot, my heart pounding.

Nero’s expression didn’t change as he shrugged. “I don’t see what the fuss is about. It wasn’t a big deal.”

“How was it not a big deal?” I asked as I dragged my hand down my face. “You’d never even seen anyone naked before.”

“And now I have,” he said. “Again, not impressed.”

While I’d known that my picturesque fantasies of him being some blushing, nervous, drooling virgin were just that - fantasies - I’d still expected some embarrassment from the kid over his first experience with sex. He seemed to be walking fine, and I didn’t feel like I’d been the bottom, so maybe we didn't get that far, but any point should have been far enough to get some reaction out of the prude.

I couldn’t have been that bad. Even bad sex was still sex.

But I would not accept such a blow to my pride. “I must not have done things well because I was drunk,” I decided.

“Not sure how else you could have done it, but alright, whatever you say.”

“No, I’ll have to prove it to you.” My cheeks must have still been warm from anger. I refused to accept that I was the embarrassed one.

Sighing, he fell to lean his weight against the wall. “Can you not? I just fixed your shirt.”

“I can do it without taking my shirt off,” I said, flashing a grin. Bedroom talk was something I’d done so often that it came easy even against Nero. “Come on, give me one more shot.”

“I don’t see how that works, but whatever,” he said. “Just hurry up. I want to get to breakfast.” Considering how little experience he had, I was sure I could wrap things up before breakfast started and anyone missed us.

But I was not so crass as to skip out on some foreplay. I might have while drunk, and that could have been why he didn’t care for it. This round, I would show him a good time.

As I stepped up to him, his brow pinched. Confusion filled his eyes when I took a light grasp of his chin. I must have been awful the night before if placing my lips on his was enough to draw a sharp noise of surprise from him.

His hands slammed into my shoulders, sending me stumbling back until I caught myself on a bedpost. His whole face burned pink as a ripe peach. “What!?” he barked. “What are you doing!?”

“Foreplay?” I said with some hesitation.

“Wait!” His hand shot up between us. “What do you think happened last night?”

“Well… Did we fuck?”

He made a soft noise like the scream of a dying animal.

* * *

“Why are you still in my room?” he yelled into his blankets as he lay face-down across the bed.

“Dad said I had to make sure you got here alright. You had a bit to drink.” My own words stuck and slurred like honey, and I had to hold onto the bedpost to stay upright. The floor swayed under my feet like I’d boarded a ship.

He turned his head to rest against his cheek. A red tinge splashed across his face. He was so, so cute, and he didn’t stop me when I reached down to brush the loose strands of hair from his face.

“You had a lot more to drink than I did,” he said. “You were leaning on me the whole walk over here. And you’re _still_ in my room.”

A snicker broke from me, turning into a laugh as I doubled over, still clutching the bedpost for support. “I don’t think I could make it back to mine,” I said between fits of giggles.

“Yeah, you’re about to fall on your face.”

“Then can I sleep in here with you?” I asked with a sugary-sweet hum.

My charms had no effect. His eyes remained dull, his expression flat. “You can sleep on the floor,” he said.

“Hey, your bed could fit like four people! It’s a waste, really. I could have gotten some great use out of that.”

His nose scrunched. “Ew. No, you get the floor.”

“Cruel!” I gasped. He might as well have thrown me out in the cold. “And after all I’ve done for you! I’m just so depressed, I’m dying. The melancholy has killed me.” In the throes of death, I fell to lie on the bed beside him.

“See, this is why I’m not allowed to like you,” he said as he tried to push me away. He wasn’t having much luck. “You’re not sleeping in my bed with me.”

“Are you worried about your image?” I asked, grinning so hard that my cheeks ached. “Worried that your legion of followers will find out you’re not a pure little angel anymore.” I poured the usual Fortunan haughtiness into my voice. “‘Gasp! Oh, what shall we do? Our Holy Knight Nero has slept in the same bed as another person. He’s been defiled. What’s next? Seeing someone naked? The anarchy.’”

His claws poked into my cheek with repeated insistence. “I’m not that pure,” he hissed. “And no one cares what I do. Not like they’d find out anyway.”

“Please, kid,” I drawled. “You’re so pure that you can’t even say the word sex without blushing. You almost passed out that time you saw me in a robe.”

“I did not!”

“You did too. It was cute.” Reaching out, I ran my finger down the bridge of his nose. He crossed his eyes to glare at my hand. I was sure he wanted to bite me, but I kept at it for some reason, as though trying to soothe him like a skittish horse. Though he put up with it longer than I expected him to, he sat up to escape my reach.

“Well no one wants to see you in so little clothing,” he grumbled.

“Oh no, they want to see me in less.” I gave him my usual sultry look, suggestive smile and lidded eyes. Again, though, my charms sailed over his head. He just blinked in return. “They do!” I insisted. “Plenty of people have been very happy to see me undressed. I am a gift!”

“Right. I’m sure you’re very impressive,” he said like he was trying to pacify a child.

“I am!” Trying to sit up made my head spin, and I had to grab for the bedpost again to haul myself upright. “I will show you!”

“Really?” he sighed as I started fighting with my shirt. Formal clothes were awful, so many damn buttons and layers.

“You don’t know what you’ve been missing,” I said, throwing my shirt across the room. He wasn’t paying me much attention, too busy crawling to the head of the bed so he could climb under the blankets. I waited until he was settled to unhook my belt. “Ready, kid?” I asked just so he would look at me.

“Sure, go ahead,” he said, dropping his chin into his palm. “This had better be worth it.”

* * *

"Oh, okay, so we didn’t have sex,” I said as I worked my jaw to make sure it had snapped back into place correctly. The kid had one hell of a punch. “That’s a load off my mind.”

Though his face was hidden in his hands, his blush had spread to his ears. “I can’t believe you. I can’t fucking believe you.” At this point, he should have learned to expect something like this from me. No one had ever accused me of being smart.

“Hey, I’ve woken up in a lot of people’s beds, and there’s usually only one reason for that. I’m still pretty upset that you said seeing me naked was unimpressive.”

Pressing back against the wall, he sank down until he was curled into a ball, still hiding his face. I must have broken the poor kid.

“Was the kiss alright at least?” I asked when he didn’t speak. “I hear I kiss better when I’m naked, so if you do want to give all that another shot-”

He shushed me as his hands dropped from his face to reveal wild fury in his eyes. “I can’t believe my first kiss was like that, you bastard, you stupid goddamn- I’m so mad.”

Right, that had been his first one, at least not counting the weird incident with Vergil, which neither of them did. And I'd ruined it.

“Sorry,” I said as I let the false calm slip from my face. Dropping down to the floor, I sat across from him. If he were going to hit me again, I wanted to be close to the ground to minimize the chance of breaking my head open against it. “I wouldn’t have kissed you if I didn’t think I had permission. I guess that’s a no to me ever having a chance with you, huh?” The fire in his eyes blazed brighter, but I’d already managed to ruin our relationship, whatever odd one we had. If the bridge was already burning, I wasn’t going to let it go down with any regrets.

“What?” he demanded.

“I do like you,” I said. “I thought it was pretty obvious, but I think you’re kind of oblivious to that sort of thing.” I’d seen him rebuff several affections with a calm gaze or unknowing smile. The kid was a heartbreaker. In spite of myself, I could feel another blush on my face in mirror to his own. My stomach was tying itself in knots like I was a little kid again trying to confess a crush. “If you’re not interested, I’ll leave you be.”

He scoffed. “You’re awful at this. I don’t know how you’ve ever managed to get with anyone.”

Ouch. A weight pressed against my chest, and I found it harder to breathe. Stupid. I’d been rejected hundreds of times, far more than I’d ever been told yes. Besides a chip against my pride, the sting of rejection had worn off long ago, or it should have. I’d known the kid only tolerated me, and I’d already put him in a bad mood. He didn’t want to hear any honest words from me after all the coy, disingenuous ones I’d given him. Though I heard him move, I couldn’t bring myself to tear my eyes from the floor. He could hit me if he wanted to. He deserved to get another blow against me.

“This is a mess,” he sighed. Glancing up, I found him on his knees in front of me, his lips pressed into a thin line, and his ears still burning red. “I’m pretty sure you’re the least romantic person I’ve ever met. I can’t believe I’m doing this. I don’t even know what I’m doing.” His hands latched onto the front of my shirt again, this time dragging me forward into the most awkward, forced kiss I’d ever had, worse than the one before it. Our noses crushed together, and it was clear he’d never kissed anyone in his life.

But it was the sweetest kiss I’d ever been given, and I relaxed to let him know that he could too. His breath shuddered with nerves as he pulled back, staring as far from me as possible. His hands were trembling, tangled in my shirt, so I took his hands in mine and brought his fingers to my lips again. “I know this will make you mad,” I murmured as I nuzzled those ever-glowing claws. “But you’re really cute. Is that your way of confessing in return?”

“No!” Though he didn’t pull away, his shoulders bunched up by his ears. “I take it back. I don’t like you.”

“You never said you did.”

“Well, I don’t!”

“Damn,” I sighed. “Guess I’ll have to win your affections.” I must have already been succeeding because a hint of a smile fought its way to his lips. “When’s a good time for a date? How about now? We can skip out on breakfast here and go find something to eat in town. I know you like the bread they sell in the market.”

“I guess I don’t really want to deal with your family,” he muttered, tugging his human hand free to swipe at the bridge of his nose.

I couldn’t help but grin as I leaned forward to press my forehead against his. “Me either,” I said in a half-whisper. “Now let’s get you charmed so that next time you see me naked, you’ll realize your mistake.”

He froze up, tense and furious as a cat in water. “Or I could kill you!”

As he smacked his hand against my face to shove me away, I wheezed a laugh. He was adorable, and he probably would kill me. “Wouldn’t be the first time you’ve tried it!” I said.

He jumped to his feet with a huff. “This time I’ll succeed. But I’m starving. Let’s go get food first.”

“Yes, sire!” I sang as I hopped up to follow after him.

**Author's Note:**

> I like making Dante sappy idk.


End file.
